The Red Scare Simulation Project
In order to gain a better understanding of the impact of the Second Red Scare and how "The Crucible" is an allegory for it, you will be asked to research the subject and select a role to adopt for a classroom simulation. The roles mirror many of the people who were either running the House hearings or those who were forced to testify before them.
In this activity you will do the following:
Research Projects (Choose 1)
Project 1: Joseph McCarthy
You are Joseph McCarthy, you ran the House Un-American Activities Committee that is being investigated. After visiting the pbs.org site above, learn more about Joseph McCarthy, his views and beliefs and be prepared to represent him. Remember, he believed that what he was doing was in the best interests of the nation.
Project 2: John Edgar Hoover
You are the head of the F.B.I and have been since 1924 (when you were only 29 years old). You have been tasked by the president with helping to limit the expansion of Communism on American soil. You played a very important role in the red scare proceedings. After visiting the pbs.org site above, learn more about John Edgar Hoover, his views and beliefs and be prepared to represent him.
Project 3: Those called to Testify: Select one of the following people and be prepared to answer questions about their experiences with
the House Un-American Activities Committee:
Musical director Leonard Bernstein
Composer Aaron Copland
Actor Will ("Grandpa Walton") Geer
Actress Ruth ("Harold and Maude") Gordon
Mystery writer Dashiell Hammett
Actress-singer Lena Horne
Poet Langston Hughes
Folksinger Burl Ives
Actor Burgess Meredith
Playwright Arthur Miller
Actor Edward G. Robinson
Actor-director Orson Welles
Folksinger Pete Seeger.
Project 4: Those who publicly voiced their issues with the Committee and McCarthy.
Mort Sahl
Edward R. Murrow
Project 5: The House Over-site Committee: These are the five members of Congress who have convened a special hearing to discuss
the pros and cons of the committee. These people are responsible for knowing as much information about the Red Scare as possible
and will be responsible to deciding if the House Un-American Affairs Committee was acting in good faith.
The students who select this role will prepare questions each of the witnesses and lead the questioning session. Students who select this role will
receive extra credit, based upon their effectiveness.
GRADING:
Please see the rubric page to download a copy of the rubric
In this activity you will do the following:
- Conduct research on the Internet and discover information about people who were involved with the Red Scare.
- Read and take notes about these people.
- Try and learn the complete story about these people.
- When you are ready, you will be called as a witness to the U. S. Senate Hearings on The House Un-American Activities Committee. You will take the part of the person(s) you have studied and tell your story about what happened.
- You will be asked to respond to questions as if you were this person.
- Everyone needs to start their research here: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/episodes/arthur-miller/mccarthyism/484/
- Once you have an idea of the issue, continue your research on your own.
- Be sure to keep track of where you go and what resources you end up using for your role as a list of the sites will be required at the end of the simulation.
- Remember to use the Purdue OWL Website for the latest in MLA formatting: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/
Research Projects (Choose 1)
Project 1: Joseph McCarthy
You are Joseph McCarthy, you ran the House Un-American Activities Committee that is being investigated. After visiting the pbs.org site above, learn more about Joseph McCarthy, his views and beliefs and be prepared to represent him. Remember, he believed that what he was doing was in the best interests of the nation.
Project 2: John Edgar Hoover
You are the head of the F.B.I and have been since 1924 (when you were only 29 years old). You have been tasked by the president with helping to limit the expansion of Communism on American soil. You played a very important role in the red scare proceedings. After visiting the pbs.org site above, learn more about John Edgar Hoover, his views and beliefs and be prepared to represent him.
Project 3: Those called to Testify: Select one of the following people and be prepared to answer questions about their experiences with
the House Un-American Activities Committee:
Musical director Leonard Bernstein
Composer Aaron Copland
Actor Will ("Grandpa Walton") Geer
Actress Ruth ("Harold and Maude") Gordon
Mystery writer Dashiell Hammett
Actress-singer Lena Horne
Poet Langston Hughes
Folksinger Burl Ives
Actor Burgess Meredith
Playwright Arthur Miller
Actor Edward G. Robinson
Actor-director Orson Welles
Folksinger Pete Seeger.
Project 4: Those who publicly voiced their issues with the Committee and McCarthy.
Mort Sahl
Edward R. Murrow
Project 5: The House Over-site Committee: These are the five members of Congress who have convened a special hearing to discuss
the pros and cons of the committee. These people are responsible for knowing as much information about the Red Scare as possible
and will be responsible to deciding if the House Un-American Affairs Committee was acting in good faith.
The students who select this role will prepare questions each of the witnesses and lead the questioning session. Students who select this role will
receive extra credit, based upon their effectiveness.
GRADING:
Please see the rubric page to download a copy of the rubric
